Application Components: Academic Fields

All applicants must complete and submit their applications via the Embark Fulbright Online Application. This iswhere you enter data, upload documents, and register your recommenders and foreign language evaluator. The following items comprise the components of the Academic application:

Biographical Data

The first pages of the application ask for all of your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc. They also ask for the details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous foreign experience. Here, on the Program Information page, you must include a project title and an abstract of the Statement of Grant Purpose, along with a brief explanation of your future plans upon returning to the U.S.

Statement of Grant Purpose

This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright year. If you are pursuing a research project, developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the program summary for your host country in order to verify the type of grant you can propose. Depending on the country, applicants may also propose to complete a graduate degree program. Some countries have specific arrangements or awards for graduate study and applicants may propose to complete a graduate degree program. In this case, applicants should focus on demonstrating the reasons for pursuing the proposed program at a particular institution in the host country.

Whether you are applying for a research project or a degree program, the proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.

Format: single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins.

Affiliation Letter

A majority of Fulbrighters undertaking study/research awards will affiliate with universities, although in some countries it is possible to affiliate with other types of organizations, such as research institutes or government ministries. Affiliation requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements for the proposed host country. The affiliation letter should come from the institution/individual in the host country with whom you are proposing to work. It should be written in or translated to English, printed on official letterhead and should be signed by the author. Email correspondence is not acceptable.

Personal Statement

This 1-page narrative is designed to give the reviewers a picture of you as an individual. It is an opportunity to tell the committee more about the trajectory that you have followed and what plans you have for the future. Whereas the Statement of Grant Purpose focuses on what you will be doing in the host country, the Personal Statement concentrates on how your background has influenced your development and how that relates to the Fulbright opportunity.

The statement can deal with your personal history, family background, intellectual development, and the educational, professional, or cultural opportunities to which you have or have not been exposed; explain their impact. This should not be a reiteration of facts already listed in the Biographical Data sections or an elaboration of the Statement of Grant Purpose.

Format: single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins.

Foreign Language Forms

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements of the proposed host country. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are Strongly Recommended, you must submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form, which is completed by a professional language teacher. Submission of both forms is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or native-speaker ability. Failure to submit the forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are Recommended or Not Required, if you possess some language skills you should submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be advantageous to have your language ability documented, even though it is not required. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

Recommendations

You must submit three recommendation letters as part of the application. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. You should provide the recommender with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendation letter. The recommendation letter should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to complete the proposed project. All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English there must be an official English translation. Because the recommendation letter is confidential the translation cannot be done by the applicant. Both the original recommendation letter and the English-language translation must be uploaded into the Fulbright application.

Transcripts

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.

Failure to submit any required transcripts will result in your being declared ineligible.

For select countries - Critical Language Enhancement Award Statement

The Critical Language Enhancement Award is available to:

China

Egypt

India

Indonesia

Jordan

Morocco

Russia

If you are applying for a Critical Language Enhancement Award, you must complete the Critical Language Enhancement Award Statement which details your language preparation, the host country language program desired, and a brief explanation of how the additional language training will impact your Fulbright experience and future career plans.

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply. All applicants enrolled in U.S institutions must apply through their home campuses. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

If you are an undergraduate student you would be eligible to apply in your senior year. If you are a graduate student you are eligible to apply to most countries as long as you will not have a PhD degree on the application deadline.

Non-U.S. Student

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, hold a bachelor’s degree, and do not have a PhD degree then you could be eligible for certain awards within the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Please review the program summary for the country where you would like to apply.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 5 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

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U.S. Professor

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award you will need to apply through CIES.

Non U.S. Professor

If you are a non-U.S. citizen and a professor interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award to the United States you would need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.